Holy Tuesday

 

Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: “‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes’? Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits. And the one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.” When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they perceived that he was speaking about them. And although they were seeking to arrest him, they feared the crowds, because they held him to be a prophet. (Matthew 21:42-46 ESV).

 

There was no confusion for Jesus concerning His authority to do everything He had done up to this point in His life and ministry (cf. John 5:19- 29). Our reading today has already presented several aspects of this authority: Christ came to Jerusalem and received praise and worship from the people, cleansed the temple, and taught in the temple courts. These actions led the religious leaders to ask, “By what authority are You doing these things? Who gave You this authority?” (v. 23). The religious leaders were questioning Jesus’ authorization to do what He did. They essentially asked, “Is it from God or from man?” Today people still wonder whether Christianity is from God or whether it is just another man-made religion.

 

We should not think of these questions as merely informationally motivated. Remember the religious leaders had already rejected John the Baptist’s message (v. 32); these questions came from their unbelief. They had already rejected earlier revelation from God, so their rejection of Jesus was not altogether unexpected.

 

However, unbelief isn’t the only reason people question Jesus’ authority. Sometimes these questions come from misplaced fear. Instead of fearing God, which the Bible says is the beginning of knowledge (cf. Proverbs 1:7), they had an unhealthy fear of man. The question for us is, Will we let unbelief and the opinions of others control us, or will we submit to God and His Son Jesus Christ? Jesus responded to the questions of the chief priests and the elders by posing a question of His own. To force their hand, He asked them whether John’s baptism was from heaven or from man (v. 25). John had made Jesus’ identity as the Messiah clear, and the people respected John as a prophet. Therefore, the religious leaders couldn’t reject John, or the people would turn against them. However, if they claimed that John’s authority was from heaven, then they would be guilty of rejecting God, since they denied that Jesus was the Messiah. Don’t fall into their category. Have faith in Jesus. He is the only hope in life!